Trigger Warning: This article contains talk of abortion, and brief mentions of sexual abuse.

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Ireland has been getting a name for itself in the international media as one of the most progressive nations: celebrators of same-sex marriage, a gay political leader! Hurray! Yes, it all looks great on paper, but it’s certainly not the full story.

For the most part, Irish people are progressive thinkers. We have, for the most part, rid ourselves of the stuffy, penance-oriented, Catholic stereotype. However, despite the sexual orientation of our government’s leader, and the fact that we were the first country to approve same sex marriage by popular vote (high-five!), Ireland is far from progressive as a nation. Just ask any person who had to travel to the UK to get an abortion.

We’re still strangled by the church

People are free to practice whatever religion they choose. It’s not something any forward-thinking person would ever judge someone on, but staunch Catholics in Ireland seem to have a judgemental finger permanently primed to be pointed at anyone who speaks, acts, or thinks against that particular religion’s dogma. The big problem, though, is that the Church has such a stronghold on the Irish constitution that many Catholic beliefs are actually written into law.

This country has been devastated by the Catholic church for decades, and it is heartbreaking to see that its grip remains tight around our necks. From terrifying discoveries of babies’ bodies in drains at the site of a Catholic run institution, to a disturbing history of peadophila in the church, to decades of shame and oppression and abuse cast upon young, single mothers, it is perplexing to think that the reason Irish people do not have autonomy over their own bodies is because of a Catholic belief.

Women are vessels

In October 2012, Savita Halappavanar was denied an abortion after admitting herself into hospital with what was later determined to be a septic miscarriage. She repeatedly asked for an abortion but was told that “this is a Catholic country”, and we don’t allow abortions here.

She eventually gave birth to a stillborn girl on the 24th of October, and died 4 days later. Since then, Irish men and women have been rallying in their thousands, calling for the separation of church and state; for women to be treated as more than just vessel, for people to have the right to choose what happens to their bodies. We have been calling for the health and lives of women to be a priority, but it isn’t, and it’s vague as to when it ever will be. What comes before the lives of women, the health of women and the right to bodily autonomy is an amendment, the 8th amendment, in the Irish constitution based on a Catholic belief that abortion is wrong.

The people of Ireland have been calling to repeal the 8th amendment, so that women can choose whether they want an abortion rather than having their fate decided for them, regardless of their religious beliefs. These women and men have, not surprisingly, been faced with opposition, a lot of it vitriolic and much of it spiked with misinformation and an unhealthy dose of Catholic shame.

The opposition to bodily autonomy

Many people oppose the position of choice. They are known, widespread, as pro-lifers, however, as their position doesn’t appear to value the life of the woman, most prefer to call them anti-choice. There are a number of organisations dedicated to spreading what can only be described as lies around the subject of abortion. There are also a number of relatively high profile anti-choice individuals that spend time attacking pro-choice advocates on social media, calling women who have admitted to having abortions murderers among other things. While some members of the pro-choice side can fight dirty too, the majority of the anti-choicers seem to approach their arguments with venom and with very little fact.The Catholic Church teaches compassion, but it’s hard to see any compassion from anti-choice representatives.

What anti-choicers fail to see is that no one is actively pro-abortion. They are simply promoting the apparently novel idea that it should be a person’s free choice to decide whether they have an abortion. If abortion was to be legalised in Ireland, those who believe that it is wrong or immoral or against their religious beliefs will also have the choice not to have one. Choice is the key word here, and yet people, primarily women, are not being trusted with it.

Oh, Ireland is progressive, but…

So, we have a leader who is openly gay, and the global media celebrated us for it, despite the fact that we didn’t actually vote for him. They celebrated how progressive we are because of our leader’s sexuality. But while many of us are progressive thinkers, Leo Varadkar the Taoiseach (or Prime Minister) of Ireland once likened women going to the UK to have abortions to people going to Amsterdam to smoke weed. In 2010 he openly opposed abortion for rape victims, and despite The UN describing the current law as a violation of human rights and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking Varadkar to consider abortion a “fundamental right”, he recently said that Ireland is not ready for abortion. It’s heartbreaking to write that.

On September 26th 2017, it was announced that Ireland would have a referendum on the 8th amendment in 2018, but thus far, the details are unclear, except that Varadkar has said Irish citizens will get the chance to vote on the legalisation of abortion in “most cases”. “In most cases” has left pro-choice advocates feeling uneasy. The Abortion Rights Campaign posted on Facebook saying: “Now is the time to show the government that the upcoming referendum needs to ensure the Eighth Amendment is fully repealed and the path laid for free, safe, and legal abortion in Ireland for all who want or need it.” In other words “In most cases” isn’t enough for modern day Ireland.

So yes, we have many progressive people in Ireland, we have always been a creative and open nation in certain ways, but while the Catholic Church keeps our country in shackles, and while our nation’s leader is afraid to annoy the older generations, the church and its followers, we will never be truly progressive. And women will never really own their own bodies.

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Image by Giuseppe Milo

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